There was no silver lining for third-year Letran head coach Jeff Napa even after the gallant stand put up by the Knights against the San Beda Red Lions, Tuesday afternoon. For him, a loss is a loss, plain and simple.
“Wala namang nakakaalala nung silver lining na yan na nakahabol kami. Ang importante pa rin yung panalo eh,” a frustrated Napa expressed.
“Ang maalala ng mga tao yung panalo, hindi yung ginawa namin nung fourth quarter.”
The game itself saw the Knights rally back from an imposing 67-45 lead with 6:19 left, trimming the lead to just a solitary point after a 23-2 blast. The rally still fell short, as Letran suffered their fourth defeat of the season, 74-68.
Napa was irate that the Knights, a team loaded with talent, allowed themselves to play catch-up. After a strong first half, Letran fell into a huge hole – largely due to a lethargic third canto that saw them put up just 10 points compared to San Beda’s 27.
“We played bad. Sobrang sama. Like I said sa dugout, kumbaga, ginawa naming tanga yung sarili namin dun,” reflected Napa, who has yet to win against the Red Lions in six tries. “Yun ang pinakamahirap na part sa pagiging coach. Yung lahat ng preparation tama, it’s a matter of execution eh.
“Nagkulang kami sa effort, at sa commitment kaya ganun yung game.”
Bong Quinto, who was the catalyst in the late rally, admitted that he and the team had relaxed during the third frame.
“Bad start eh. Yun ang pinakamasama samin, nung third quarter. Nag-relax kami, ‘di kami naglaro as a team, so ayun nabaon kami.
“First group, second group walang nag-contribute. And then fourth quarter, yun nga, pinahirapan namin yung sarili namin. Imbis na third quarter pa lang bumabakbak na kami, nasa huli talaga pagsisisi,” said Quinto, who scored 13 of his team-high 19 points in the final frame.
“‘Di lang naman performance ni Bong ang usapan dito eh. If we play as a team, lahat maganda ang storya eh. Kahit maganda ang stats mo, talo ka, ‘di ka parin maalala kasi talo ka pa rin eh,” added Napa.
Still, Napa took the martyr’s road in this defeat, as he deflected all the blame to himself.
“I take full responsibility sa talong ‘to. Kasalanan ko ang lahat. ‘Di nag-deliver ang mga players so kasalanan ng coach talaga yan.”
